Guide to Finding a Roommate

At Boardwalk Properties, we are dedicated to bringing our customers the very best in terms of buying property, selling property, commercial leasing, and more. As a major real estate resource in Boston, we are always on the lookout for more information to help clients make the best decisions possible. One major decision that every renter needs to make involves finding the right roommates. We would be hard-pressed to find anyone out there who hasn’t heard at least one horror story about a roommate situation that went completely awry. Luckily, these days it’s easy to make a smart choice in choosing who you live with. After careful consideration, we’ve gathered together our top tips for the ever-stressful roommate hunt. We hope this makes your search an easier one!

1. Start with family and friends

Before jumping into a search made up of perfect strangers, approach your family, friends, coworkers, and other familiar faces first. Even if none of these people are currently looking for a roommate, they may know somebody who is, and you have a better shot with a person who comes recommended from a reliable source, versus a virtual unknown.

2. Get Online

Using websites like RoomieMatch.com, you can fill out your personal interests, needs, budget, lifestyle, etc., to find someone similar to you and minimize the likelihood of problems sharing a space and respecting one another’s schedule.

3. Use Social Media

It’s no shock that the majority of us spend every waking moment either thinking about social media or using it in some capacity. Here is your chance to make your Facebooking, Tweeting, and Instagramming actually productive. Blast out a message to your friends and followers on all your channels letting them know you’re on the hunt for a roomie. You never know what may come of it.

4. Thorough Interview

While many of us may feel awkward sitting down with a perfect stranger and grilling them about their job, their background, their interests, and habits, this is a necessary step in guaranteeing that you don’t find yourself stuck with a kleptomaniac, slob, 24/7 party person, or worse. Create a list of questions or topics you want to cover beforehand, and have them ready when you meet your potential new roommate.

5. Give it Time

One of the easiest ways to flub the roommate search is by pulling the trigger too early out of a sense of desperation or because of a fast-approaching deadline. Whatever the reason is, making a rash decision is never a good idea, especially when it comes to choosing the person who you will have to share a space with every day for the foreseeable future. Take your time on this one.

If you would like to learn more about the tips and tricks you need to have to find a good roommate, we’d love to hear from you. Simply fill out this contact form and one of our friendly staff members will be in touch to answer all your questions and help you with every step of the rental process.